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Kiss, Ramones Members Guest With Pearl Jam In NYC

Pearl Jam gave a nod to its classic rock influences last night (June 25) in New York, drafting Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and Ramones bassist C.J. Ramone for guest appearances during the second of a t

Pearl Jam gave a nod to its classic rock influences last night (June 25) in New York, drafting Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and Ramones bassist C.J. Ramone for guest appearances during the second of a two-night stand at Madison Square Garden.

Frehley turned up to play lead guitar on Kiss' "Black Diamond," which was mostly sung by drummer Matt Cameron, with guitarist Mike McCready, an admitted Frehley obsessive, handling the first verse.

As he'd done the night before, Ramone thundered through his former band's "I Believe in Miracles" with Pearl Jam. Frontman Eddie Vedder also saluted his guitar tech, Ricky Ramone, who had long worked for the late Johnny Ramone before joining Pearl Jam.

Frehley and Ramone weren't the only guests during the show. A local vocal trio, secured after a couple of phone calls from Pearl Jam personnel, was enlisted to sing on "All Night," "Who You Are" and "W.M.A.," all of which were either new to Pearl Jam's live set on this short tour or had been absent from the rotation for a decade or more.

During the MSG run, the crowd often reached deafening volume, taking over for Vedder on tracks like "Better Man," "Present Tense" and "Release," which opened last night's show.

The sets went heavy on material from the band's first three albums, with hits like "Alive," "Even Flow," "Daughter," "Corduroy" and "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" balanced by deep cuts such as "Leash," "Rats," "Whipping" and "Garden."

A healthy celebrity quotient was also on hand during the run, including the Olsen Twins, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.

Pearl Jam proceeds to Hartford, Conn., on Friday and will play a private show back in New York next Tuesday to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation.